About Carole

Carole Murray grew up in southern Illinois, getting a firm grounding in family, faith, and the importance of education and community participation. Her mom and dad were active in civic groups, and her Republican dad instilled in her not only his analytical and free market values, but also his belief that goodness can always stand in the face of the darker side of humanity. Her mom stood strong with her devotion to family and church, and she had a creative side that Carole shadows with an interest in the arts and gardening. She grew up with a brother and sister, who both still live in Illinois.

Carole graduated with a degree in Education, but, after teaching for a short time, decided that the classroom was best handled by others more suited for the challenges! After staying at home with two daughters, Carole started working in the newspaper business, becoming the ad manager who brought state recognition to the department. She managed a small business, then became the President of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, where she dramatically increased memberships and volunteer participation.

After seven years at the Chamber, Carole was elected the County Clerk and Recorder of Douglas County. During her 8-year tenure, she managed her department as a fiscal conservative, with minimal staff additions during high growth in the county. She increased the use of technology in all divisions and left a department with a staff that is renowned for its customer service.

A customer service trainer for Fortune 500 companies uses the Douglas County Motor Vehicle Department as one of her “best practices” examples. She tells her corporate clients: “If a motor vehicle department can make a customer leave with a smile on their face, any other business can too!”

As County Clerk and Recorder, Carole became active with other clerks in the state, who elected her as their president. She also served as co-chair of their legislative committee, so she gained first-hand experience with policy development at the state capitol. Colorado is unique among all the states in the number of counties having electronic real estate recording capability as a result of Carole’s efforts to enable e-recording through a state law. This was accomplished through bringing together all the stakeholders interested in real estate recording, and crafting a bill which they all supported.

Carole is married to Lisle Gates, Principal of Castle View High School in Castle Rock. Between them, they have 5 children and 6 grandchildren.